Spring Projects?

I need to replace a garden shed. It's too small and too low. We keep hitting our head when going in it. I haven't decided on whether I want to just buy a costco or home depot shed or look at getting custom built.

Besides that the top of my chimney which we don't use either needs to be take down or parging and pointing. That would require somebody who has more skills than myself.

I think for us we (okay, mainly I) need to do some debulking, or decluttering in our shed. We also hope to get a mini-meadow started in our front yard. Aiming for a fall seeding date, so summer will be bed prep time.
Maybe next year I can look at getting a she-shed for the back yard.

Backyard cleanup and basic landscaping. I hope that the local vocational high school has another summer class on masonry because I need to think about using short walls to level out some of the property which is on a hill. I would love a backyard stone patio so I have to figure that out but I need a level space first. I imagine a space that I can grill on and hang out under the maple trees. Next to the goats. So we won't be grilling goat.

Our septic system needed repair. When the house was built in the early 80s, some contractor decided that one of those black corrugated drainage tubes that was attached to 3 of the downspouts should be installed right across the top of the septic field. Hey, he wasn’t going to be here when the problems arose so what did he care?

So now it’s out, the damage repaired, and the backyard resembles an abandoned lot. I’ve spent the past several days trying to break up clods of dirt, get some of the rocks out, put down some topsoil and grass seed, top dress the seeded area and cover the larger areas with that straw-like matting.

We also have a lot of old azaleas that need some serious trimming. Trying to trim them enough to look good aesthetically but not have the new growth resemble a salad bar for the local deer is always a challenge. I must not have trimmed some of them last year, they are huge.

I often look online to find instructions for trimming them correctly. You know, which branches should be removed, do you cut back to an area where it branches or not, are there other considerations. One site helpfully suggests forming a mental image of how you want them to look and then cutting off anything that doesn’t fit. Dang, I could have written those instructions myself!

So started with new Furnace and Air conditioner. I have been having air conditioner problems for the last 4 years. This winter the furnace went out, unfortunately had to repair it. But I had been putting money away for it. My Furnace and air conditioner is 24 years old. So it had a good run. I really wanted to do Geothermal, but my location and yard set up is not idea for it where it makes it cost prohibitive. I have put in my deposit and expect that to be done in the next couple weeks.

Then I decided to redo my living room. I have been wanting to and well I rarely use the living room, so never been a priority, so I have paint samples and so on all going on. I have to take 2 days off work to do the furnace air conditioner and figure I would paint the living room at the same time.

Then, I got Hemi a new swimming pool. I need to go get permits and so on and then install that. He is going from a 15 ft, 4 ft deep to a 18 ft 5 ft deep.

Then, last year I pulled out all my landscaping at the end of the year. This year, I am painting the outside of the house and redoing the landscaping. Many might remember me asking about paint colors last year. I never got around to it.

Then, I really need to clean and organize the garage. I really want to get an organized system in there with some storage cabinets and so on, Hang the bikes up etc.

Those are my lofty goals this year. Meanwhile, making everything more difficult, we are on well and septic. No big deal and I plan to remain on it as last year everything was inspected and was just fine. However the city is installing sewer and city water down my road. Which means tearing up the entire street and digging huge trenches and so on. They are widening the road and putting in gutters and fire hydrants and so on. and the water lines go right down my side of the street through my front yard.

Jeff, I'm sorry about the sewer and water situation but if I had the chance to switch off of septic, I would in a heartbeat. We've had 3 homes with septic systems and I just shudder every time we decide the house we like has a septic system. The house we just had septic work done on, the former owner said they'd never had the tank emptied nor the system checked out or repaired and they refused to do so before we bought the house. It was some bossy old guy who clearly liked to get his own way about everything so we bought the house knowing there could be issues down the road. Well, we've owned this house for 18 years and aside from the recent issue related to the drainage tube, it hasn't been too problematic. That said, I'd switch to a public sewer system any day over this.

I was just thinking about your paint colors last week when I was walking Larky past a home I've always thought looks so attractive. What color did you select?

I just spent last week cleaning out a couple flower beds and adding mulch. I took out a lilac bush last year that was beside the garage and moved it to the backyard. We just went out this weekend and bought a red rhododendron to plant in the spot where the lilac used to be. Also bought a couple gold mops and put into the flower bed in front of the deck. I need to clean and paint the front porch and the deck floor some time too.